From the Beds & Herts Telegraph, March 27th, 1915.

Two Belgian refugees, old friends before they were evacuated from Antwerp, were unexpectedly reunited as patients at the Bute Hospital.

One of the men, employed at the [Hewlett and Blondeau] aircraft works at Leagrave, had had a cycling accident and was taken into the hospital. In an adjoining ward was the second Belgian man undergoing an operation for appendicitis. The patients did not know of each other's presence in the hospital until one was able to leave his bed. He was taken to the other ward and introduced, and recognised his old friend with whom he had lost contact after leaving Belgium.

Both had been visited in hospital by their respective wives but they, too, had not chanced to meet.

• Miss Aitken, daughter of the late Mr J. S. Aitken, from Luton, was a passenger on the a ship sailing from Australia to Dover that was fire on by the submarine U35 in the English Channel, but the torpedo merely cut a log line. Said Miss Aitken: "As we neared Dover on Monday morning the ship began to turn round and round, and some of us thought it was done to avoid a submarine. A destroyer came up and reported that U35 had been there only half an hour before. We travelled quickly up the Channel between destroyers. It had been a terrible suspense all through Sunday night."

• Pte Charles Worboys, whose home is at 177 Park Street, was in the Royal Infirmary at Liverpool being treated for frostbitten feet. The former foundry worker had enlisted in the New Army and was drafted to the 1st Beds Regiment in France just before Christmas. In a letter he wrote that had seen his pals blown to pieces but had been a bit lucky himself with one bullet through his coat and having a rifle knocked out his hand and smashed by a bullet.

• Inquiries have been made by the authorities as to how far it would be possible to utilise the services of volunteer training corps affiliated to the Central Association to take the place of Territorials and Regulars at present on home defence duties. Every member, including those of the Luton Corps, was therefore to be asked whether they were prepared to do patrol work locally both at night and during the daytime, whether they were prepared to go away for a weekend, week or other period of time, and whether, in the event of invasion, they would be prepared to serve in another part of the county or country - all on a voluntary basis.

• Last night the soldiers who gathered to spend their evening in the Waller Street Plait Hall were hugely delighted by a few of their comrades who had a friendly spar with the gloves. It was done purely for the sport to give entertainment, and there was no attempt at judging the merits of the various combatants. The programme proved a very popular change from the customary sing-song.

• Children playing in a Luton street on Thursday ran home laden with money dug up by their dog. The Telegraph said it could not reveal the amount or the location of the find other than a considerable amount was involved and the discovery was made in a very accessible spot on a public highway in West Ward. It was understood it was current coinage and therefore not treasure trove, and not long buried as the earth above it was loose. The police view was that the money was either the proceeds of an extensive robbery, or the hoard of an eccentric person. If unclaimed, the money would go to the finders.

• Applications were granted by Luton magistrates this morning to open the Gordon Street, Wellington Street and High Town picture palaces on Good Friday from half past two until ten o'clock. The Bench hoped it would be understood that the licence was only for this occasion and in the interest of the troops in the town.

• This afternoon the straw hat factory of Messrs Davies, Lyon and Co Ltd near the junction of Midland Road and Old Bedford Road was damaged by fire. The blaze broke out in the blocking room, which occupies the larger portion of the ground floor at the rear of the factory, and is believed to have been caused by a spark from a boiler. Firemen prevented the blaze spreading to the nearby factory of Messrs R, Burley Ltd in Old Bedford Road.

• A letter in the Telegraph appealed for donations to the National Egg Collection over Easter on behalf of wounded soldiers and sailors. The target was 200,000 eggs to go to base hospitals in France, hospitals in London and a large number of provincial military hospitals..

• The Telegraph noted that, in Australia, Melbourne Grammar School batsman Sharp scored an unbeaten 498 out of a score of 943 for 8 against Geelong College.

• Luton Town took a full team to London for their Southern League match with Queens Park Rangers, who fielded a representative eleven. A contingent of the 10th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment gave Bob Hawkes and the Luton Players a cheer as they came out. Luton took the lead after five minutes through Simms, who completed his hat-trick in the second half to give Luton a 3-0 victory. QPR had beaten Luton 4-2 at Luton in September.